Gratuities on a long cruise Auto or No?

[DonnasMom&Dad]

Yes leave the auto tip in place.... In reality it is like Port charges and Tax its one amount that can be considered part of the cruise fare. Princess does this to make the advertised price the lowest possible. Like buying a car you pay the list price doesn't not include tax, trans,licence, delivery etc....

 

And yes, if you pull the auto tip you get flagged and your service staff ALL know about it.

 

And still get the great service!! :confused: :D

 

Cato :)

 

Completed Cruises !

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines :D

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07 April 2012, 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 30 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24th cruise - Coral Princess, 19 May - 22 May, 2013, 3 Day Repositioning Cruise, LA - Vancouver

25th cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice.

26th cruise - Emerald Princess, 06 - 16 October, 2013, 10 Day Canada - New England, Quebec city to New York

27th cruise - Royal Princess, 24 November - 01 December, 2013, 7 Day,Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

28th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 20 - 24 Jan, 2014, 4 Days, California

29th cruise - Crown Princess, 03 - 10 May 2014, 7 Day, LA to Vancouver.

30th cruise - Pacific Princess, 05 - 12 Aug. 2014, 7 Days, Vancouver RT, Alaska

31st cruise - Golden Princess, 13 - 17 Oct. 2014, 4 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT,

32nd cruise - Crown Princess, 20 - 27 Dec. 2014, 7 Days, LA - Mexican Riv, RT.

 

 

 

[shredie]

People on these boards are so adamant they say you get flagged if you remove the auto gratuity and use cash instead but you do NOT get flagged. I asked several different guest services people and the cruise director and the head waiter and all said no body knows.

 

I'm not surprised that's what they said. It doesn't automatically follow, however, that "nobody knows" means "you do NOT get flagged." :)

[caribill]

People on these boards are so adamant they say you get flagged if you remove the auto gratuity and use cash instead but you do NOT get flagged. I asked several different guest services people and the cruise director and the head waiter and all said no body knows. You can get tip envelopes at guest services and use cash if that is what you want to do.

 

As mentioned earlier, if you do remove the auto-tip when your cabin steward or dining room waitstaff hands over the envelope with your cash tip, the manager will see you have removed the auto-tip and that tip will go into the pool just as if you had kept the auto-tip in place.

 

When that happens, your steward or dining room waitstaff knows you removed the auto-tip. Although it is not "flagged", on your next segment of a B2B, they will know what you did the first segment and be pretty sure you will do it again.

[shepp]

So Jim Walker quoting the Guardian is your source of information? Really? If there are "hundreds of articles stating such things", you shouldn't have much difficulty referencing a few from other than a trial lawyer and a socialist (IMHO) newspaper in the UK.

 

So let me get this straight: "socialists" lie? Perhaps you can post a link to a Fox News story documenting that cruise lines are not money-grubbers focused on the bottom line, and crew members are a bunch of overpaid, underworked whiners who deserve to get stiffed unless they do backflips for you?

Edited February 13, 2015 by shepp

[PrincessLuver]

So let me get this straight: "socialists" lie? Perhaps you can post a link to a Fox News story documenting that cruise lines are not money-grubbers focused on the bottom line, and crew members are a bunch of overpaid whiners who deserve to get stiffed unless they do backflips for you?

 

 

Now it is starting to get good....forget the new thread on Formal Night Dress Codes....how can people know such much about the inner workings of the Princess pay roll department and when it always seems that half the ships I am on everyone is clueless about saving chairs at the pools and theaters? :confused::eek:

[shepp]

Just the same should you opt for "Anytime Dining"! You'll have a different waiter and asst. server every evening.I prefer to tip them at that time since I'll probably never see them again!Based upon service received!

 

 

I'm just genuinely curious, since waiters are generally (if irrationally) tipped based on the cost of a meal…how much do you usually tip? You bring along small bills, I assume, but then tip a flat rate, or depending on how much effort is expended based on what you've ordered, or whether you like the waiter, or estimated value of your meal, or what? Hand equal amounts to the waiter and assistant, or parcel it out based on your impression of each? And what if you go to tea, where you're served by multiple personnel? Tip or no?

 

I mean, I've eaten maybe 300 meals in Princess dining rooms and never seen anyone either handing money to a waiter or leaving it on the table, but maybe I just haven't been looking. Or maybe you're one of the few.

Edited February 13, 2015 by shepp

[jennyg2610]

As long as they are really nice flip flops with a tasteful amount of bling. Tell the matre'd that I said it was OK.

 

 

That's funny. It actually happened to our friends when we were on the Ruby Princess a few years ago. His formal shoes fell apart and he told the maitre'd that he couldn't come to formal night as he had no other shoes to wear with his suit. He replied, "you wear funny hat and no one will notice that you not wear shoes".

[shepp]

sorry..weird duplication

Edited February 13, 2015 by shepp

[RocketMan275]

That's funny. It actually happened to our friends when we were on the Ruby Princess a few years ago. His formal shoes fell apart and he told the maitre'd that he couldn't come to formal night as he had no other shoes to wear with his suit. He replied, "you wear funny hat and no one will notice that you not wear shoes".

 

Someone, somewhere, on a formal night thread did ask if they could wear sandals to formal night. They were "really nice sandals with a bit of bling".

[mellon1]

How do you know that they are "RELEASED"?

 

We have been told by waiters, head waiters and MD

[TomCruises]

My final comment to this thread!It really is ridiculous!Tip in the manner you see fit.....Whether you excercise Pre Paid,Auto Tip or good ole Manual (Envelopes),it is your choice.It does not mean anyone is being stiffed,rather under tipping/over tipping at your sole discretion!

Happy Tipping Everyone!:cool:

[shredie]

My final comment to this thread!

 

When tipping, should one wear flip-flops? :p Some threads you would like to see closed, others opened, I guess.